Russian scientists have developed a miniature instrument for detecting gamma rays and cosmic radiation in orbit, designed to be mounted on nanosatellites. Researchers at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology say the device measures only a few centimetres across and is built to sit on the exterior surfaces of CubeSat-class satellites, according to Sharjah24.
The instrument is based on a gamma-ray spectrometer that has been adapted to register streams of charged particles that make up cosmic rays, the outlet reports.
Why it matters
Space-based radiation monitoring has traditionally relied on bulky, heavy hardware. The new design points toward a lighter and smaller approach, which could make radiation sensing practical on the small, low-cost satellite platforms that are increasingly common in orbit.
According to Sharjah24, the project's stated aims are twofold: to shrink the size of space observation equipment and to reduce interference caused when cosmic radiation interacts with a satellite's own components. That second goal matters because a detector's readings can be muddied by radiation produced inside the spacecraft itself.
A detector measured in grams, not kilograms
Andrey Mayorov, a professor in the institute's department of nuclear physics and cosmology, said the device is intended to cut down the footprint of space monitoring instruments and limit the noise generated by cosmic radiation striking satellite parts, Sharjah24 reports.
The weight difference is the most striking figure. The new instrument comes in at a few hundred grams, while some earlier devices weighed around 470 kilograms, according to the outlet. That gap of several orders of magnitude is what the team believes could open up wider use of the technology.
Sharjah24 reports that the device could eventually be deployed in ground-based and space-based observatories and telescopes, where it would be used to study cosmic rays and energy flows in space.
The reporting does not specify a launch date, a partner mission, or which CubeSat platforms would carry the instrument first. Those details remain to be announced.
Watch for the first orbital deployment of the detector and for any published measurements from it, which would show whether a few-hundred-gram sensor can deliver data useful enough to complement larger instruments.
